Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Upside to Cool Argumentative Essay Topics

The Upside to Cool Argumentative Essay Topics Now let's look for an argumentative essay outline example. Regardless of the fact virtually every kind of academic paper has an identical structure, a writer can find with original suggestions to make his essay stick out from the remainder of argumentative pieces. You ought to make sure you keep on that 1 side during your whole essay. The structure of your paper's outline is exactly like the structure of your whole essay. You're able to work on an assortment of essays which require good arguments to work. You should write off your thesis statement if you're writing some type of an official essay. A thesis produces a particular statement to the reader what you'll be attempting to argue. When drafting an argumentative essay outline you will need to choose a controversial subject, and decide on a stance that you're confident in arguing. When you purchase an essay from us, you're guaranteed to relish individual approach because essay help offered by our writers is always customized based on your requirements. Choosing online essay writers isn't a nightmare anymore. When you finally choose the argumentative essay topic, it's important to discover and use only sources that are no older than ten decades. Successful completion of the essay depends upon your capacity to create the essay outline correctly. An argumentative essay is among the many academic essay types. It should not be a unilateral rant. Generally, it has the same outline as the majority of traditional papers. An excellent argumentative essay ought to have a particular statement that's arguing. Where to Find Cool Argumentative Essay Topics Research your opposition extremely well in order for your argument is going to be that a great deal more compelling. Conclusion To compose a fantastic conclusion isn't as simple as you could think. Obviously, you must concentrate on supporting your thesis statement as opposed to the opponents. It's unethical to exclude evidence which may not support the thesis. The Hidden Treasure of Cool Argumentative Essay Topics When you haven't introduced any type of solution in your essay, perhaps encourage other people to become more conscious of your topic. The article type doesn't make a difference. For instance, Smoking is a terrible habit is quite a vague topic that may require tw enty pages of writing as you need only five. For instance, to write about the impact of video games on child development isn't a fantastic idea if you haven't ever played video games yourself. After the overview section, next section should incorporate background and history of the issue that should be explored. Following that, you should recognize the aim of the topic. Since you can see there are a whole lot of templates and topics to refer on. It's possible for you to visit the library or surf the internet for materials linked to your topic. Below are 3 distinct patterns that it is possible to consider. After producing the hook, you proceed to deliver some handy background information concerning the subject. You always have to note the info about data which you have found to utilize in your outline. Up in Arms About Cool Argumentative Essay Topics? Based on your argument, the range of body paragraphs which you have will vary. To put it differently, you've got to explain argument and provide supporting evidence for it. The variety of body paragraphs is dependent upon the kind of argument you need to introduce. The past few sentences ought to be extremely clear and have an enduring image on your audience.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Energy Example

Essays on Energy Coursework Energy No: Energy In the past few decades, the industrial revolution brought many problems besides several economic benefits. The most important damage that the industrial revolution produced is the climate change. The climate change is due to the emissions of the green house gasses and aerosol particles from the factories and vehicles. The most emissions are produced to fulfill the energy requirements in the United States. In this way there is a need to find such resources that produce no or less harmful emissions. Renewable energy resources and nuclear energy are free from harmful emissions while coal and other fossil fuel resources produce much green house emissions. â€Å"The U.S. should expand its use of nuclear energy to generate electricity, replacing coal-fired plants with nuclear power plants as soon as possible. Nuclear power and renewable energy sources are to be preferred over coal and other fossil fuels†.Nuclear energy is free from green house gas emissions and th e most important concern in the modern world is the green house emissions. There is a need to control the green house gas emissions in order to reduce the environmental impacts of energy sector. Results show that averagely there is an increase of about 0.8-1oC rise in the temperature of the world due to the climate change. The utilization of other renewable resources like solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, etc also produce no or fewer amounts of green house emissions and thus climate change can be reduced by utilizing the green house gas emissions. A nuclear power plant is a kind of a thermal power plant in which nuclear fuel replaces the fossil fuel. Thus it is feasible to replace the current coal powered power plants with the nuclear energy, as both are thermal power plants. However, there is much difference in a methods utilized to extract energy from the nuclear sources and fossil fuel sources. Some disadvantages of the nuclear power exist like exposing to the radiations, secu rity and intensity of energy. However, a better security method can minimize the security and exposing to the radiation risk. Thus nuclear power is safe and environment friendly source of energy and utilized in a massive way to reduce the effects of climate change. In the similar way, other renewable energy resources are also encouraged to be utilized.ReferencesKanellos, Michael. (January 12, 2012). â€Å"Should U.S Expend Nuclear Power†? CBSnews.com. Retrieved 20th Jane 2012 from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504466_162-6087612-504466.html

Monday, December 9, 2019

Legalization of marijuana free essay sample

The topic I chose is the legalization of marijuana. My research was enjoyable because I love reading on a topic that I fully support and agree with. The four sources I found are very persuading and contain strong points. I used the web for research but as I found sources, I made sure they were credible sources since this is such a debatable issue. Jacques, Renee. This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. The topic sources addresses 8 reasons why she thinks cannabis should be legalized. Jacques examples where no one has ever died from a marijuana overdoes, around 40% of Americans have admitted to using it, the plant is much safer than already legalized drugs, cannabis also has a low risk of abuses, it can a safe and useful sleep aid, marijuana is used to alleviate a lot of medical ailments, and it’s been proven it’s not a gateway drug. We will write a custom essay sample on Legalization of marijuana or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She also argues that so many extremely successful people smoke marijuana and gives 50 examples. The information is credible and important to consider because every point she stated is either a fact or have been proven. Everything Jacques argues, she provides evidence. I will use this information in my essay to provide reasons why marijuana should be legalized. 10 Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal. High Times. Ashe Avenue, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. The source talks about the topic of marijuana. It gives ten valuable reasons for why the readers of High Times believe marijuana should be legalized. The source states prohibition has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana, arrests for marijuana possession disproportionately affect blacks and Hispanics and reinforce the perception that law enforcement is biased and prejudiced against minorities, and a regulated, legal market in marijuana would reduce marijuana sales and use among teenagers, as well as reduce their exposure to other drugs in the illegal market. Legalized marijuana would reduce the flow of money from the American economy to international criminal gangs and would simplify the development of hemp as a valuable and diverse agricultural crop in the United States, including its development as a new bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions. The sources argues prohibition is based on lies and disinformation, marijuana is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol, and marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects. The information the source provides should be consider credible because not only do they provide examples from history but statistics also. The source may be slightly bias but it is important to consider because personal opinions should matter when making the laws for our country. That’s why America is a democracy right? I will use this information is my paper to argue the wrongs of our country for not legalizing the plant. Bradford, Harry. 14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost The Economy. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 07 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. The sources addresses the topic how legalizing marijuana would better the economy. Some examples include America saving $13. 7 billion from abolishing prohibition enforcement costs, its estimated that Washingtons legalization of marijuana could bring the state an additional $500 million in tax revenue, Colorados pot legalization legislation, Amendment 64, is estimated to create $60 million for the state in combined savings and additional tax revenue, prices of marijuana would lower allowing users to save money, and inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U. S. prisons $1 billion annually. These are just 5 of the 14 examples the source provides. The source would be considered credible because everything that is said has a source to back it up. These are many benefits to consider because America could save and profit a lot of money just by legalizing marijuana. I would use this information in my essay to should many positive effects cannabis has for not only the users but our country. For First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana. For First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana. Gallup Politics, 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. The source states polls and statistics of the controversial issue. Last year 10% of Americans supported the act, this year its 58%. This is the highest it has ever been. The last time it was the highest percentage was in 1977, yet it was still only 28%. A sizable percentage of Americans (38%) this year admitted to having tried the drug, which may be a contributing factor to greater acceptance. The source tells of how independents are fueling growth in acceptance of legalizing marijuana. The information is credible and important because it gives real polls and statistics. I will use this in my paper for the reason that it will provide readers the knowledge of how other Americans feel and not just my opinion.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Pumpkin Patch Business

Introduction The purpose of this case study is to consider the external and internal environments, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, core competencies, and future strategies of Pumpkin Patch.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pumpkin Patch Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Company Overview According to Pumpkin Patch (2010), Pumpkin Patch is a New Zealand based corporation- it is Australasia’s largest kids wear business with its operations in UK, US, NZ, and Australia; together with its subsidiaries, the group specializes in designing, advertising, retailing and wholesaling of kid’s wears. The business possesses five operating divisions that consist of four geological areas where its retail chain operates and one wholesale or direct division consecutively in UK, US, Australia, and NZ; its subsidiaries comprises Pumpkin Patch LLC, Torquay Enterprises Ltd, Pumpkin Patch Originals Ltd , Pumpkin Patch (Australia) Pty Ltd, Pumpkin Patch Ltd, Pumpkin Patch Wholesale LLC and Pumpkin Patch Direct Ltd. As part of its business strategy, in June 2009, Pumpkin Patch restructured thirty-five retail shops in the US that ran below Pumpkin Patch LLC and closed-up fifteen other shops. Analysing the external environment of Pumpkin Patch Demographic Pumpkin Patch is a New Zealand-based business with its operations in Australia, UK, and US as well; New Zealand has a total population of 4,213,418 from where the Pacific population now build-up 6.9 % of the total NZ population. Multiple ethnicities are most common among younger Pacific populace and the average age of the NZ-born Pacific group is 13 years contrasted to 39 years for the overseas-born; The Pacific group as a whole has a greatly younger age composition than the total population, which means that the target customers (kids) of Pumpkin Patch is higher.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conversely, Australia has a population of 22,451,601m, and the population has five unlike quintiles of gross household-income per week starting from AU$ 319 to AU$ 1096 weekly; generally, more than 90 percent of Australian citizens represented the middle-income class. Economic The 2010 fiscal year substantiated to be rather complicated for the company because of the continuance of the recessionary affect that the company faced in 2008 to 2009 period creating difficult general retail environments for all of its trading entities. As per Yahoo Finance (2010), during this time, the share prices of the company faced a sudden slump as shown in the figure below: Figure: Basic Chart of Pumpkin Patch Ltd (PPL.NZ) for 2006 to 2010 Source: Yahoo Finance (2010) In spite of these tough situations, Pumpkin Patch engendered a quite remarkable development in income and sustained to expand the Pumpkin Patch brand in its twenty- two markets; the result reflects the strength of the Pumpkin Patch brand and the quality of the teams it has around the world. Political/legal The political conditions of both New Zealand and Australia are quite stable and the governments of both the countries try to afford the highest business friendly environment to all its industries with a view to raise the GNP; most importantly, the government of New Zealand always encourage and assist the growth of the local and international NZ companies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pumpkin Patch Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, despite of a few number of problems due to lawful barriers such as environmental and labour legislations, the market of the US and UK generates enough revenues as well. Socio-cultural The Pumpkin Patch Company is committed to ensure the highest level of satisfaction to all its stakeholders, including its employees a nd the local communities. It believes that it is socially responsible to reduce its adverse affects in the environment by introducing more and more eco-friendly production procedures. It also induces its shareholders, partners, suppliers, and other associates to care and to stay beside the neighbouring communities. It possesses a formal Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy that gives a direction to every single subsidiary about the type of culture that the group promotes in order to comply with the environmental laws. Technological The company believes that in this rapidly changing competitive world it needs to adapt the latest technological infrastructure to gain competitive advantage. Therefore, its IT department constantly works for ensuring the greatest technological assistance. Moreover, it is imperative to note that the company has hi-tech instruments that help it in rapid production. Core competencies Management and People– the company possess an extremely efficient top management that has amazing administrative skills for controlling such a large business like Pumpkin Patch. It employees are very specialized in the production of the kids’ outfits. Promotion- it has special promotional packages that includes discount-vouchers, Pumpkin Patch promotional-codes, money-off coupon codes for great discounts, and many other packages for customers. Fashion Designing- additionally, its key competency is its expert team of fashion designers who are indeed very creative and imaginative in the designing works. Product Offerings- it is noteworthy that most of clothes that the company offers are simple, light coloured, and of pure cotton. This competency helps the company because children more often like to wear comfortable dresses in sunny weather. However, it also offers bright-coloured and gorgeous dresses as well. Retail Outlets– its retail outlets are located near busy streets so that more customers can keep visiting the stores. The decoration of the outlets are eye-catching that attracts the customer too. Pricing- because the company offers dresses at relatively cheaper prices than its competitors, the pricing of the products is its core competency. This induces the customers to be loyal and to stop the switching costs. Industry Analysis In the clothing industry, the barriers to entry are relatively high because of the requirement of a huge sum of money to start the business with; apart from that, efficient production staffs and creative fashion designers are essential to sustain in the competitive market, which are very scarce too. It will be tough for the new entrants to sustain because the production expenses of the clothes are high and the resources, technologies, and machineries required in operations are most of the time unavailable. Although, there are many competitors in the industry, companies specialising in kids’ wear are very few; therefore, there are few competitors providing direct substitutes.Adve rtising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The bargaining power of the buyers is moderate and the switching costs are slightly high. Conversely, the presence of numerous suppliers in this industry means that their bargaining powers are low; nevertheless, suppliers of fashionable brands are inadequate denoting high threat. SWOT analysis of Pumpkin Patch Strengths Pumpkin Patch has outstanding brand awareness and quality image, which helps the company to increase its profit day-by-day. The experience, dynamic and efficient designers always show their creativity; According to the annual report 2010, the Board of Directors are responsible for ensuring that the Company and Group is properly managed to improve and protect the rights of shareholders; It offers quality products with reasonable price; In spite of these challenge of global financial downturn, it generated a very significant development in income and continued to grow the Pumpkin Patch brand in its 22 markets. Weaknesses Slow growth rate in the US retail market and wholesale market; Rapid change of fashion trends and customer’s mind to select children cloths; Fluctuation of market share price in stock market; Employees’ right is not protected under Fair Work Act 2009; Pumpkin Patch spend relatively low budget for market research and promotional activities. Opportunities Pumpkin Patch has Strong capital and resources for further expansion, for example, it has already launch of its new brand Charlie Me; It has the opportunity to offer quick customer service with high satisfaction; Scope to increase customer base; In addition, it has opportunity to enter a number of new wholesale markets with new brand (Charlie Me) or existing brand; Pumpkin Patch (2010) reported that it is well positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities across all of its markets. Threats Competitors are the major factors for the company, such as, Wall-mart and Marks Spencer are the largest competitor of Pumpkin Patch; Though the company is not affe cted by the financial meltdown but still global economic down turns creates some uncertainty on future expenditure of the customer. Competitors Bowden stated that in 2004 global apparel sales were around US$768 billion and the US clothing market was worth US$172.8 billion, which demonstrates that it is a moderate size industry. The company has business operation in the US market, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK market; as a result, the company has to face both direct and indirect competitors from the different business location either from department stores or from discounters like Marks Spencer and Wal-Mart. Bowden also pointed out that the 2nd biggest class of rivals was made up of specialty clothing retailers who had a children’s segment, for instance, GAP in the UK market. However, this company has opened few other departmental stores for bread and breakfast segment but failed to generate expected profit; so it concentrated more on the discount retailer segment in Ne w Zealand market and faced huge competition with Kmart and Farmers. On the other hand, the closest competitors JK had 24 stores around New Zealand including 2 outlet stores, and other rival Esperit had children segment, which were also the great threat to Pumpkin Patch as their target customer was almost similar. However, Australia was the single largest market for Pumpkin Patch as it had at least 100 stores in this arena but it has to face huge competition in this market from discount retailers, for example, Target, Big W, and Kmart, which aggregate sales were A$13.24bn. Here, it is important to mention that the competitors in Australian market mainly target medium and low income people along with acceptable quality and reasonable prices; as a result, they earned more from previous years in global financial crisis. However, the competition in the UK market and the US market are comparatively less than Australia though Wal-Mart, and GAP represent a high threat for Pumpkin Patch by h olding 9.4% share and 31.4% market share gradually. Analysis the Internal Environment The internal environment has been influenced by number of aspects, which present in the external environment and the industry itself. These factors have impacted the business operation of Pumpkin Patch by number of ways. Tangible Resources of Pumpkin Patch Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson (2001) stated that according to the resource- based hypothesis, multinational organizations should have six types of resources. Financial resources- Despite global financial crisis, the financial position of the company is in stable position, though the share price decreased for a short time and Pumpkin Patch has failed to reach expected level in terms of target sales in the UK market. From the subsequent table, it can assume the financial condition of the company – Variables 2010 NZ $000 2009 NZ $000 Total equity 80,867 88,678 Capital Expenditure 13,379 11,796 Total assets 178,589 188,189 Earning Before Interest and Tax 25,502 14,522 Total stores 227 218 Turnover AU 157,056 166,398 Turnover NZ 198,276 203,426 Turnover GB  £000 23,636 22,520 Table: Financial resources of Pumpkin Patch Source: Self generated from Pumpkin Patch (2010) Physical resources: This includes constructions, property, equipment, furniture, and leasehold improvements, machines, and fixtures, number of outlets, stores, and departments to serve the present business purpose. However, the following figure shows the number of stores in four different locations – Figure: Number of Store Source: Pumpkin Patch (2010, p.4) Intellectual and human resources: – The Company has more than 3,000 efficient employees, who are responsible for designing the dresses, maintaining the daily operation, planning, controlling, and distributing systems. Technological resources: – The technological resources of Pumpkin Patch are outstanding because technology plays a vital role from design to distribut ion, for example, designer of this company always use modern IT technology to upgrade their design. Capabilities According to the Johnson, Seholes Whittington (2006), knowledge of the employees, RD, and marketing advertising are the key capabilities; however, the following flow-chart shows the capabilities of the company – Figure 3: Capabilities of Pumpkin Patch Source: Self generated from Johnson, Seholes Whittington (2006) The designers of Pumpkin Patch has capability to develop their design by using their creativity; The well trained and experienced employees have capability by manufacturing quality products; It has capability to develop new brands or industry trend; It has customer database of almost 900000 across Australia, and New Zealand 200000 Pumpkin Patch has capability to compete with multinational firm in such global business environment; It has enough financial capabilities to expand its business outside of its selected four areas. Current Strategy There are many strategies that the company is undertaking currently, which include growth strategy and diversification strategy; according to the Pumpkin Patch (2010), the company has already planned to grow the Pumpkin Patch brand in its 22 markets. Additionally, in order to reach its strategy of global expansion, it will need to compete globally for which it undertook the strategy to advance its technological infrastructure through the Microsoft ® Windows ServerTM 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 with Active Directory ® as the system that could meet the scalability demands of a high growth business. Microsoft Technology is helping Pumpkin Patch appreciate its strategic vision and employees of the business are enjoying flexibility in their workplace whilst preserving cost effectiveness; this has also helped the company to increase productivity by the IT team who have reduced their everyday management challenges. Strategies for the future As Pumpkin Patch is experiencing rapid improvement in Australian market, it will follow brand extension or growth strategy to carry out business in this market. In addition, it will try to offer products with competitive price like JK, and Kmart by reducing its operating and manufacturing costs; As it is operating and distributing products in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, it should concentrate on outside of these existing market and it can capture the other part of European market, the Middle East, South Africa and Asia; It will increase its promotional activities as it helps the company to raise market demand; The target of the company for next five years will be crucial to develop and sustain competitive market, build brand awareness, and international expansion; therefore, it will reduce the price of the products to target middle class customer to high income level customers; As it has no online purchasing facilities available in its web sites, it will develop its e-retailing system for further growth and it will obv iously contribute to attract existing customers as well as new customers; Considering the present strategies and market environment, it can design various types of co- operative strategies like – it can combine the resources, capabilities, and core competencies with other similar companies for achieving mutual interest by applying joint venture, licensing agreement, merger, and takeover. Conclusion Today, Pumpkin Patch is indeed a very successful business with its operations in many parts of the world; its markets outside of New Zealand have achieved tremendous support and appreciation from the global customers. Although the financial downturn had severe affects over the company and its share prices, it is now reviving back to raise the prices. In this context, it has planned to expand its markets outside of NZ, Australia, US, and UK with a vision to be a global market leader in this industry. Reference List Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2001) Strategic Man agement. 4th ed. South-Western Thomson Learning. Johnson, G. Seholes, K. Whittington, R. (2006) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text Cases. 8th ed. London: FT Prentrice Hall. Pumpkin Patch (2010) Annual report 2010 of Pumpkin Patch Ltd. Web. Pumpkin Patch (2010) our company. Web. Yahoo Finance (2010) Basic Chart of Pumpkin Patch Ltd (PPL.NZ) for 2006 to 2010. Web. This essay on Pumpkin Patch Business was written and submitted by user Rashad Gomez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

6 Skills and Traits Employers Want in a Receptionist

6 Skills and Traits Employers Want in a Receptionist Over one million receptionist jobs exist in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Demand for administrative professionals extends across most industries, from general practical medical clinics to Realtor offices. If youre looking for a job as a receptionist, sharpen these seven skills to give yourself a competitive advantage.1. OrganizationWhether theyre booking travel arrangements for executives, populating spreadsheets with data, greeting visitors, or answering phones, receptionists must stay on top of their to-do lists. Sometimes this means moving from one task to another at a moments notice.Exhibit your organizational skills by arriving for interviews on time. Take notes when you meet with employers to show that you value organization in your work life.2. FriendlinessReceptionists serve as the public faces of the companies that employ them. They welcome visitors through the front door, offer guests refreshments, and connect callers to the appropriate par ty.When interviewing for a job, show prospective employers your ability to put others at ease. A smile, a firm handshake, and a friendly personality help grease the wheels of employment.3. Active ListeningAccording to Psychology Today, social media and other influences have shortened attention spans to as few as 20 seconds. A receptionist needs active listening skills to quickly process requests from visitors and superiors.To improve your active listening skills, maintain eye contact with correspondents and ask clarifying questions. Remember the names of people with whom you speak and refer to them by name every so often to demonstrate your attentiveness.4. Technology AdaptabilitySeveral years ago, a receptionist who could create spreadsheets and respond to email could hold his or her own in this position. Now, however, receptionists use dozens of different software applications. They might manage their employers social media accounts or access web-based accounting programs.With the wide variety of computer solutions available to employers, you cant easily anticipate which program youll need to use on the job. Focus instead on familiarizing yourself with technology in general. Use the computer frequently and increase your comfort level with the user interfaces of different programs.5. MemoryHave you ever walked into a business, such as your bank or supermarket, and responded with a smile when an employee greeted you by name? Memory skills serve receptionists well because a good memory allows them to respond to and even anticipate others needs.If you suffer from frequent forgetfulness, start carrying a pad of paper and a pen wherever you go. Jot down notes to help you remember key details. Not only can you refer to your notes later, but actively writing down key information makes it more likely to stick in your mind. The U.S. Air Force reports that people remember 90 percent of the things they do (versus 75 percent of what they see and 20 percent of what they hear).6. CommunicationReceptionists write emails, answer phone calls, dictate memos, and meet with customers. They articulate messages between colleagues and correspond with business associates. All of these activities require advanced communication skills.If you struggle with communication, develop a familiar script for communicating with others. For example, when you greet visitors, use similar language to welcome them, ask them what they need, and invite them to sit down.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

History of Roads in America and First Federal Highway

History of Roads in America and First Federal Highway Transportation innovations boomed in the 19th century, including  steamships, canals, and  railroads. But it was the popularity of the bicycle that would spark a revolution in transportation in the 20th century and lead to the need for paved roads and the interstate highway system. The Office of Road Inquiry (ORI) within the Department of Agriculture was established in 1893, headed by Civil War hero General Roy Stone. It had a budget of $10,000 to promote new rural road development, which at that time were mostly dirt roads. Bicycle Mechanics Lead the Transportation Revolution In 1893 in Springfield, Massachusetts,  bicycle mechanics Charles and Frank Duryea built the first gasoline-powered motor wagon to be operated in the United States.They formed the first company to manufacture and sell gasoline-powered vehicles, although they sold very few. Meanwhile, two other bicycle mechanics, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, launched the aviation revolution with their first flight in December, 1903. The Model T Ford Pressures Road Development Henry Ford  debuted the low-priced, mass-produced Model T Ford in 1908. Now that an automobile was within reach for many more Americans, it created more desire for better roads. Rural voters lobbied for paved roads with the slogan, Get the farmers out of the mud! Federal-Aid Road Act of 1916 created the Federal-Aid Highway Program. This funded state highway agencies so they could make road improvements. However, World War I intervened and was a higher priority, sending road improvements to the back burner. Building Two-Lane Interstate Highways The Federal Highway Act of 1921 transformed the ORI into the Bureau of Public Roads. It now provided funding for a system of paved two-lane interstate highways to be built by state  highway agencies. These road projects got an infusion of labor during the 1930s with Depression-era job-creation programs. Military Needs Spur Development of the Interstate Highway System Entry into World War II swung the focus to building roads where the military needed them. This may have contributed to neglect that left many other roads inadequate for the traffic and in disrepair after the war. In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had signed legislation authorizing a network of rural and urban express highways called the National System of Interstate Highways. That sounded ambitious, but it was unfunded. It was only after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 that the Interstate program got under way. U.S. Department of Transportation Established The Interstate Highway System employed highway engineers for decades was a massive public works project and achievement. However, it was not without new concerns about how these highways affected the environment, city development, and the ability to provide public mass transit. These concerns were part of the mission created by the establishment of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1966. BPR was renamed the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under this new department in April  1967. The Interstate System became a reality through the next two decades, opening 99 percent of the designated 42,800 miles of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Source: Information provided by the United States Department of Transportation- Federal Highway Administration.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Solid-phase synthesis of Gly-Glu-Lys-Gly-Ala by Merrifields method Lab Report

Solid-phase synthesis of Gly-Glu-Lys-Gly-Ala by Merrifields method - Lab Report Example Step 6: Decoupling and reaction with resin bound Gly to form dipeptide (Boc-Glu-Gly-Resin).Step 7: Orthogonal protection of second -NH2 group of Lys by benzyloxycarbonic acid treatment of already N’ terminal (ÃŽ ±NH2-) protected Boc-Lys.Step 8: Linking such both NH2-group protected Boc-Lys derivative with Glu-Gly-Resin.Step 9: Addition of Boc-Gly to derivatized Lys-Glu-Gly-Resin.Step 10: Addition of Boc-Ala to Gly-derivatized Lys-Glu-Gly-Resin.Step 11: Universal decoupling and release of N’-Ala-Gly-Lys-Glu-Gly-C.’  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the essay, gly has a vast pK range and can be covalently linked to the resin at any pH value. Glu has quite acidic isoelectric point (pI) (= 3.1), and for all reactions in aqueous solutions (Boc and DCCD derivatization) it is required to keep pH close to 3.0. Once Glu is linked, Lys has very alkaline pI (= 9.8) and thus the resin should be washed with a buffer of pH 10.0. All blocking reactions (Boc, DCCD and benzyloxyca rbonic acid) need to be carried out in aqueous phase at this pH. Subsequently, for Gly and Ala, pH can be brought back to neutral or slightly acidic (pH 5.0-7.0). Orthogonal protection is a method to protect other than N’ and C’ terminals, the COOH, NH2, and other groups which may affect peptide bond formation or cause stearic hindrance such as –OH, -SH etc. Depending on the groups to be protected (here Lys) chemicals can be chosen. As coupling of amino acids through a peptide bond is enderogenic reaction, they need to be activated by DCCD before coupling. Source Voet, D. & V

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Electronic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electronic Marketing - Essay Example It would elaborate over how the advancements in technology and the advent of internet has assisted organisations in creating and improving customer value with the use of personalization and mass customization. Moreover, it would discuss the ethical and legal constraints associated with the use of internet. DISCUSSION The internet can be formally described as an interconnected network comprised of several networks and millions of computers that aim to link together businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, and individuals. There is no single organization controls the internet or how it functions, nor is it owned by any individual, yet it has provided the infrastructure for the transfer in commerce, scientific research and culture. The advent of internet has brought forward a plethora of opportunities and openings for businesses to take advantage of in order to better serve the customers. (Laudon & Traver, 2007) Marketing is basically the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying the requirements of customers profitably with the help of the 4 Ps of the marketing mix, namely, product, price, promotion and place. (Baker, 2001) When internet and related technologies are used to communicate with the audience and the customers this becomes the process of electronic marketing. As the competition over the internet is increasing, there is more stress over providing the maximum value to the online customer. Customer value can be generated through providing them with a favourable experience. This experience can be enriched through the paradigms of internet accessibility, the depth and interactivity of the contents, faster access, convenience, speed of transactions and overall, a pleasant experience. All mass marketing comes down to offering customers with value for money. (Jones & George, 2007) Internet enables companies to produce customized products while maintaining a low unit cost for the products. Mass customization i s a new phenomenon that is taking over the business strategic environment. It can be defined as the enablement of a company to provided products that are tailored to the specific needs and demands of a group or individual bearing similar interest. The internet has increased the implementation of mass customization by companies. The youth of today are habituated to personalizing their experiences, be it the internet or their mobile phones. Customization is taking place over everything and anything, from toys to games to clothing. This generation is accustomed to personalization and customization from their brands and this is why more and more companies are going towards this phenomenon. The demands of the consumers are now less similar. They are unique and different from others making them less predictable for the companies. Mass customization allows companies to cater to specialized requests over a large scale. With the advent of globalization and the advancements in information tec hnology, companies are faced with greater competition from all around the globe. Every company is aiming to gain a presence over the internet which would make them ubiquitous and interactive. The Internet makes it possible, for companies large and small, to offer standardized and customized products and services compatibly, or to merely offer the latter. (Baylis et al, 2007) With the help of personalization, companies can target their marketing messages to individuals by

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Fallacies Assignment Essay Example for Free

Fallacies Assignment Essay The source in question is a response to the episode of â€Å"Oprah† that featured an â€Å"expose† of puppy mills. The person posting to the site makes several arguments that attempt to support the claim that animal breeders are responsible for pet overpopulation, all based on fallacies. Overall, the writer makes an appeal to the readers’ emotions. One such argument is that â€Å"Ive volunteered in the rescue trenches for over ten years of non-stop blood, sweat and mostly tears. † This statement is not only an appeal to emotion due to the â€Å"mostly tears† statement, but it is also an appeal to emotion in that it focuses on the negative aspects of rescue and with the reference to being â€Å"in the trenches,† the writer compares being in rescue to war (par. 3). The writer makes an appeal to authority, citing Oprah as an example of the desirability of adopting a pet, stating that â€Å"she has been educated† and that â€Å"if [Oprah’s] who she appears to be† that she would adopt her next pet (par. 6). The writer follows up this appeal to authority with an ad ignorantiam, with the question â€Å"how could she not? † implying that adoption would be the only way that a reasonable person, in this case, Oprah, would acquire another pet. In addition, the writer makes a red herring argument about the nature of the purebred dog, stating that it is a manipulated creature and therefore is not worth having. How this argument relates to the argument about overpopulation is never made clear, other than that it demonizes breeders and owners of purebred animals. Finally, the writer makes two statements of innuendo. The first of these is the implication that the reader and Oprah are both foolish if they don’t realize that Oprah can get her purebred Cocker Spaniels from sources other than a breedernot pausing to make the connection that all purebreds have their origin with a breeder, good or bad. The writer also makes the comment that she challenges the reader to volunteer with a breed rescue to get â€Å"a big dose of reality,† implying that the reader is ignorant and that only by doing what the writer has already done can the reader understand the â€Å"truth. † The entire post made by the writer is based on fallacies; there is not a single attempt to support these assertions with fact. Although there is some good argument for adopting a pet from a shelter, the writer seems to prefer to make arguments that will either inflame or confuse the reader, rather than providing good information to the reader. Reference Not all breeders are bad. (2008). Message 17. Retrieved from http://www. oprah. com/community/message/370577 17. Re: NOT ALL BREEDERS AND PETSTORES ARE BAD Apr 6, 2008 3:38 PM The bottom line is that it doesnt matter. The bottom line is that we are in a huge, crushing pet overpopulation crisis. HUGE. How is that conveniently ignored by the people who make more dogs for money? Ask yourself, What is your pet stores motive? Money. Ironically, thats what matters the most in all business. Sure there are responsible breeders. But who cares? These responsible breeders are still part of the problem: adding more pets into a pet overpopulation crisis of unbelievable proportions. Youre still dealing with a really unethical issue here making more dogs for money while millions die. Can you ignore that? How can you make that o. k. in your mind? Ive volunteered in the rescue trenches for over ten years of non-stop blood, sweat and mostly tears. I can sit here right now and tell everyone reading this that you can adopt any kind of dog you want. Any kind. Big or small. Whatever breed. You know why? Because owners are irresponsible and dump the pets like so much garbage because theyre moving. Or theyre having a baby. Or whatever else stupid reasons Ive heard. Its a disposable society. There are rescues working for nothing to save these animals. Who are you going to believe has the best interests of the animals at heart? The non-profit rescues, or the Pet Store/Breeder industries who are in it for one reason only: to make money? The breeders will tell you that theyre doing it for the preservation of the breed or some such thing. The truth is that there are are a whole lot of these same purebreds dying because there arent enough homes. The purebred rescues dont have any shelter facilities they cant afford them, just like any rescue cant. They rely soley on foster homes. When youre full, youre full. So for those of you thinking, Well, the rescues will save them, it just isnt true. There are just too many. Finally, lets think about what a purebred dog is. Its an animal that has been manipulated by man through breeding practices to have certain traits that man wants. Thats all. Purebreed dogs were never just naturally born that way. They were manipulated over the years to become breeds by men. So if you truly want a purebred dog, theres only one: Natures purebred. Never manipulated, never messed with. Thats why mutts are always healthier and have natural immune systems. Thats why Golden Retrievers have such a high incidence of Hip Dysplasia, for example. As for Oprah, she has been educated. All of us, at one point in our lives, didnt know what we know now. If shes who she appears to be, then she will adopt her next Cocker from a Cocker rescue. How could she not. (Btw, there are three Cocker Rescues in the city I live in, two Golden rescues, two Doxie rescues and it goes on and on just like that with every breed. ) To suggest that Oprah could have only gotten her PURE BREED Cocker Spaniel from a breeder is absolutely ignorant and completely ludacris. You are clueless as to what is really going on out there. People dump their animals (which they bought from pet stores and breeders) and the rest of us who care about them and not money are left to care for these innocent animals. A dog is a precious gift, not a purchase that has monetary value and as such, can be thrown away or sold again through the paper. Sorry! I suggest a big dose of reality. I challenge you to go and volunteer for your local Cocker Spaniel rescue. You will not ever be the same again and one day, you will wonder how you could have worked in a Pet Store that sells animals. Ever hear of Petsmart? Huge corporation. They refuse to sell animals. Ask yourself why. And please, go educate yourself. I took in a scarred up two year old Shar Pei mix whom I found wandering on an Indian Reservation. She is the most loving, loyal, gentle, silly, playful and amazing dog anyone could hope for. Are you actually going to tell me that her life is worth less than a purebred Cocker Spaniel from your store Her life and the life of the dogs in your store are all priceless. PRICELESS. Get it? Lets start changing our thinking, people, for the sake of all animals. Until there are no more; adopt. Dont Breed or Buy while Homeless Animals Die. Sorry, but Pet Stores and Breeders are losing ground and for good reason..

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Impact of Social Class Divisions on the Women of Victorian England :: essays research papers fc

The Impact of Social Class Divisions on the Women of Victorian England Two hundred years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, the social barriers of the Victorian class system firmly defined the roles of women. The families of Victorian England were divided into four distinct classes: the Nobility or Gentry Class, the Middle Class, the Upper Working Class, and lastly, the Lower Working class . The women of these classes each had their own traditional responsibilities. The specifics of each woman’s role were varied by the status of her family. Women were expected to adhere to the appropriate conventions according to their place in the social order . For women in Victorian England their lives were regulated by these rules and regulations, which stressed obedience, loyalty, and respect. The highest social class in Victorian England was the Nobility or Gentry class. The members of this class were those who inherited their land, titles, and wealth . Popular opinion at the time asserted that the noble class women led lives of lavish luxury and wedded bliss. "Ladies were ladies in those days; they did not do things themselves, they told others what to do and how to do it." It is apparent as to how this notion that the women of the noble class led lives of fortune. Social parties and balls were common festivities, which these women regularly attended. For many, dancing was a favorite pastime. To an outsider, it seemed that a lady of the gentry class had nothing short of an enviable existence. The lavish way of life these women exhibited was outwardly apparent in the fashions of the time . Noble class women were adorned in ornate dresses, extravagant jewels, and the finest accessories. The best way to describe the look of upper class women in Victorian England is to say that she looked like a porcelain doll . However, the lives of these women were not as easy as it may have seemed. In retrospect, their roles, although seemingly wonderful, were actually oppressive. They were taught to be obedient and loyal to their husbands . Their opinions were devalued, and they were thought of as nothing more than an accessory to their husbands. Furthermore, there was little security in terms of financial stability . Land, titles, and money were inherited by the closest male relative; typically the older son, but if there was no older son then the estate would go to a more distant relation.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Blair Water Purifiers India

Blair Water Purifiers India strategic marketing planning process Presented by : Reham Mohamed Moustafa Yara Shahwan Dian Zorkany Rania Zeid Tarek Zeid Strategic analysis ? The Audit Stage ? Scanning the External Macro environment ? Political legal ? Economic factors ? Sociocultural factors ? Technological factors ? Scanning the internal and external micro environment ? Internal-environment analysis ? External microenvironment analyses ? Demand forecast ? End Users needs ? Factors affecting consumer behavior ? Consumer buying decision process ? Competition analysis The market sales chart in 1996 ? The product mapping technique ? Weighted competitive strength assessment ? SWOT analysis ? TOWS analysis ? Setting objectives ? Setting Strategies ? Our suggestions ? Porter Generic Strategies ? Mckinsey matrix ? Ansoff Growth Strategy ? Segmentation ? Targeting ? Positioning ? Entry Strategy recommended Strategic analysis: Strategic planning precedes marketing planning by providing a framew ork within marketing plan might be formulated. Based on the assessment of: 1. Organizational capabilities 2. Threats from environmental forces 3. Competitor’s strength and weaknesses 4. Customers’ needs 5. Demand This must be done through the following steps: The Audit Stage Step one: Scanning the External Macro environment: Any marketing strategy must develop out of a detailed understanding of the environment. This is important to: Identify organization’s strategic position. Decide on the future of the organization. Matching organizational resources and capabilities For scanning external environment we should use the PEST model, as it will scan the whole external environment to give management clues about strategic decisions [pic] pic] Chatterjee analysis in the two visits was centred only on the urban cities neglecting the rural ones and this is a drawback as the rural cities in India count for around 80% of the population, his purpose was to make recommendations on market entry and on elements of entry strategy. Political legal: †¢ Chaterrjie confirmed that India is attractive to foreign investment through liberalization †¢ Foreign companies were taxed on income arising from Indian operations and pay taxes on any interest, dividends and royalties received The government offer favourable tax treatment if foreign investors will locate on one of the free zones †¢ Tax rate is higher than the USA, however the return on investment is higher than USA †¢ Trademarks and patents were protected in India †¢ Legislation in India was expensive and protracted that foreign firms prefer arbitration Our suggested improvements and comments: He should have analyzed the following: †¢ Monopolies legislation: to hedge against any monopolistic actions that may appear in the future †¢ Environmental protection law Employment law and this is important if the market entry will be joint venture or acquisition Economic factors: Chatterjee analysis completely missing the economic factors, as he didn’t analyze the Indian economy in any way He should have analyzed the fol lowing: †¢ Interest rates †¢ Inflation rate †¢ Business cycles †¢ Unemployment rates †¢ Disposable incomes As these factors are important to give insights about the economic conditions and the economic growth for the next years so as to know whether the market is potential for entry or not Sociocultural factors: Chaterjee identified his target market to be around 40 million households and he identified their needs and behaviour, but he missed identifying the whole sociocultural factors from the following perspectives: †¢ Population demographics: population size, age distribution , religion ,social class are important factor to be analyzed by any firm before entering any market †¢ Income distribution †¢ Levels of education †¢ Social mobility †¢ Work and leisure time These factors are important especially that the target market for him was the rich well-educated high social class so it’s important to identify this class and its growth Technological factors: Chatterjee analysis emphasized that technology was only available in large Indian cities; the lack of adequate distribution and communication infrastructure in rural India meant that any market entry would begin with larger Indian cities most likely in the west coast. But he should have analyzed many other aspects regarding this issue: †¢ Government spending on research Government and industry focus on technological efforts †¢ The speed of technology transfer †¢ New discoveries and development †¢ Rate of obsceneness Step two: Scanning the internal and external micro environment In this step we will start by analyzing the internal and external microenvironment then finalize it by the swat analysis, which was missing in chatterjee’s study. He ignored mainly the microenvironment regarding the suppliers, stakeholders and intermediary’s . He only analyzed consumers and competitors. [pic] 2-1 internal-environment analysis: Employees: Blair Company employed over 4000 people with 380 having technical backgrounds and responsibilities Cash Flow: company sales revenue for 1996 would be almost $400 million with an expected profit close to $50 million Annual Growth in sales revenue: averaged 12% for the past 5 years Capital assets: ignored by Chatterjee Sales in the international division: would reach almost $40 million in 1996, about $70 million would come from Latin and south America, $30 million from Europe and $40 million from south Asia and Australia Materials: ignored in the analyses though it’s important to scan the need materials for operation and theirs availability in the market, he only pointed that importing a few key components would be necessary at the start of the operations The Mckinsey 7 S model must be used here to finalize the step of internal marketing audit and this wasn’t done by chatterjee Mckinsey 7S [pic] By analyzing these 7S we can know the firm’s core competences and it’s competitive advantage, which can be augmented for new market entry. Check List for internal audit: While doing internal audit for strategic analysis, we can also use the below check list to recognize the organization’s strength and weaknesses and it must be weighted because some weaknesses are of less importance than others , while other strengths are of more importance than others 2-2 external microenvironment analyses: Stakeholders: these were ignored in the analyses although it’s important to scan the stakeholders for the organization Suppliers: again it was ignored in the analyses, our suggestions that the analyses of the suppliers must have be done from the following perspectives: Their number, their prices, their bargain power (if any), their strategic alliances with competitors (if any present), their distribution channels, their management structure Consumers and demand forecast: Consumer’s analysis is essential for any strategic planning as they are the main concern for the organization and this must be done through: Demand forecasting Consumers (end users needs) First: Demand forecast: Chatterjee estimated the market potential based on collecting unit sales estimates for a 10-year period for 3 similar product categories –vacuum cleaners, sewing machines and colour televisions. In addition a Delphi based research firm had provided him with estimates of unit sales of Aquagard, the largest selling water purifier in India. Chatterjee had used the data in two forecasting models available at Blair Company along with three subjective scenarios -realistic, optimistic and pessimistic. But it was conservative as they described only first time sales not replacement sales and it only applied to industry sales in larger urban areas which was the present industry focus. Second End Users needs: The target segment was around 40 million households plus those in another 4 million households that share common needs. They valued comfort and product choice. They liked foreign brands and would pay higher price for such brands. One thing that seemed certain was that many Indians felt the need for improved water quality. Folklore, newspapers, consumer’s activities and government officials regularly reinforced this need by describing the poor quality of water. Quality suffered especially during the monsoons and because of numerous leaks and unauthorized withdrawals from the water system Better educated, wealthier and more health conscious consumers took steps to safeguard their family ‘s health and use water purifiers to purify the water all over the year. This is the target segment for Chatterjee. They are people who value comfort and product choice. They saw consumption of material goods as a way to a higher quality of life. o His analysis was missing forecasting the growth of this segment as his potential market is based on the educated aware segment but he missed forecasting the growth of this segment as the growth of the segment closely relates to the growth of the sales The analysis also missed a deeper look at the target segment. From our point of view, market survey should be conducted to show in details the target segment preferences, their demographics (age, social class, occupation, style of life) whether they like flavours to be added in the water or not, their ethnic direction, even their political views (if they are anti-Americans or not) as thes e factors may affect potential sales in the short and long terms . Consumers in the target market needs (according to Chatterjee) can be summarized as the following 1) Product performance to remove sediments, bacteria and viruses ) Purchase price this is only concern for consumers who boiled water who count for 50% of the target market 3) Ease of installation 4) Warranty and availability of financing for purchase Factors affecting consumer behaviour: We should analyze the uncontrollable and controllable factors affecting the Indian consumer behaviour, the uncontrollable factors are the sum of the macro environment analysis (PEST) but the controllable factors reflect the marketers efforts in designing the 7 PS in a way that make the product convenient for the consumer so from the analysis of the target market done by chatterjee. Also there are other factors like motivation, life style, consumer perception and attitudes towards the product From the consumer analysis we can summarize that consumers in the target market need product of high quality, medium price (to be able to target a wider segments especially in the rural areas as they count 80% of the population and if they were successfully penetrated this will result in huge sales), ease of installation, warranty is needed, the emphasis on the need of healthy life style and better water will be a motive for consumers to buy the product. For consumer analysis, we suggest that he should have used also the decision making process to know exactly what are the forces that affect the consumer’s buying behaviour Consumer buying decision process: [pic] So according to this model we should analyze how consumers in India become aware of the water problem and so the need for purifiers is recognized, then from where consumers get the information (from magazines, newspapers, reference groups) , then how they evaluate alternatives (based on price or quality or warranty or capacity ,,,,) . Then the purchase and post purchase evaluation Competition analysis: It is very important for any strategic marketing plan to deeply analyze competition especially when it is done for new market entry Steps of Product /Market analysis 1. Identifying the generic need satisfied by the product categories (The need for improved water quality) 2. Identify the product categories (types / Classification) The need for water purifiers for household 3. Identify the specific product-markets Water purifiers, candle filters 4. Identify the product-variants (brands) competing with each other. Chatterjee analyzed the competition in a detailed way, which can be summarized in the following: The market sales chart in 1996: Product |Price |Strength (competitive advantage) |Weakness | |Aquaguard |RS 5500 |Huge personal selling force |Needs electricity | | | |Sales calls |Enormous fixed costs for sales efforts | | | |TV commercials |(100-120 millions on sales commissions | | | |Magazines and newspapers advertising |only) | | | |Advertising expenditures RS 1 million |No st orage capacity | | | | |Slow flow rate | | | | |Stop functioning at 190 volts | | | | |Couldn’t eliminate strong odours | |Puresip |RS 2000 |Water could be stored safely for later usage |Promotional tools was limited as it was | | | |Doesn’t need electricity |sold only by small no of independent | | | | |dealers | |Zero B |RS 2000 +RS 200 |3 stage purification process |Lack of onsumer’s awareness | |(Puristore) |yearly |Prevent iodine deficiency diseases |No heavy advertisement | | | |Water can be stored up to 8 hours |No sales efforts | | | |No electricity or plumbing is needed |Limited distribution | | | |Store 20 litters of water | | | | |TV advertisements and point of sales brochures | | | | |Marketing expenditure RS 3 millions | | |Aquarius |RS 4000 |Remove sediments, heavy metals, bacteria, fungi|Life of the device was listed as 40000 | | | |No electricity is needed but need water |liters | | | |pressure | | | | |Heavy advertising (TV, magazines, newspaper s) | | | | |Perfect design | | | | |Superior distribution channels | | | | |Knowledgeable personnel | | | | |3000 independent dealers | | |Delta brand | |More eye pleasing design | | |Alfa Water |RS 4300-RS 6500 | | | |purifies | | | | |Spectrum |RS 4000 | |Remove only suspended sediments not heavy | | | | |metals or bacteria | |Water Doctor |RS 5200 |Third stage ozonator to kill bacteria | | | | More attractive countertop 6-12 litre | | | | | | | | | | | | |Candle Filters | | | | |(Bajaj ) | | | | The analysis shows that the market is Oligopolistic structure The product mapping technique: Quality Puristore Puresip Aquaguard Weighted competitive strength assessment: We should do the weighted competitive strength assessment in the analysis to be able to see the relative importance of key success factors and the relative strength of each competitor on each of these factors |Key success factor |Weight | | O | T | |-Poor water quality in India as a result of infrastructure. |- Competition in India market regarding water purifies. | |-Reinforcement of government officials and newspapers to improve water | | |quality. Regarding Eureka Forbes | |-Life styles of Indians that value comfort and product quality choice. | | |-Ineffectiveness of traditional methods in bacterial and viruses’ elimination. |Huge sales force that highly motivated and well managed. | |-Liberalization and opened Indian economy to foreign investment. |- Tremendous brand equity. | |-Market in India requires more than one design. | | |-skilled labor in India was around Rs. 20to Rs. 25 per hour less than if |Regarding Ion Exchange. | |compared to that in USA. | |-The weak st rategic component of Aqua guard |-ZERO-B purifies marketing efforts will intensify to increase awareness | |-No filter or purifies in India market can remove iron contamination to a |-New advertising program to increase awareness. | |satisfactory level. | | |-No company in India target rural areas. |Regarding Singer. | |* lack of consumer awareness of the consumers of the ZERO-B | | |*the upper middle class households prefer high price and high quality for |-It was superior in comparison to other primitive products in the markets| |foreign brands |in design and distribution channels | TWOS ANALYSIS | | | |Past Huge success of Blair company. | -Product should be worked by | | |-Brand name in USA. |electricity | |Internal elements |-Regarding water purifies company | | | |experts as superior in term of quality|-Lack of sales office in India. | | |and performance. |*lack of sales force | | |-High technology that certified by | | | |WHO. – Product name (Delight) not knowing | | |- Design distinguished from |it might infringe on any existing | | |competitors |brand in India. | | |-Blair Company employee (4000 people | | | |with 380 having technical background) |-They still faced major issues in | | |-Strong financial position |configuring technologies into physical| | |*sales in the international division |products. | |reach almost $ 140 million in 1996 | | | |* Deligth has a distinguish western | | |External elements |design | | | |*the option of using battery is | | | |available | | | |Strategic options | | |-Poor water quality in India as a |S-O* using high technology that is |W-O | |result of infrastructure. certified by WHO to satisfy the need |*We can use the low cost skilful | |-Reinforcement of government |for pure water in India |labour in India to overcome the | |officials and newspapers to improve |*Using the strong financial and |shortage of sales force in India | |water quality. |international division to build up an | | |-Life styles of Indi ans that value |opportunity in the liberalized Indian | | |comfort and product quality choice. |market | | |-Ineffectiveness of traditional |* Using the high tec. to attack the | | |methods in bacterial and viruses’ |Aquaguard weak strategic components | | |elimination. * Using the high quality products to | | |-Liberalization and opened Indian |satisfy the needs of the upper middle | | |economy to foreign investment. |class | | |-Market in India requires more than | | | |one design. | | | |-skilled labor in India was around | | | |Rs. 20to Rs. 5 per hour less than if | | | |compared to that in USA. | | | |-The weak strategic component of | | | |Aquaguard | | | |-No filter or purifies in India | | | |market can remove iron contamination | | | |to a satisfactory level. | | |-No company in India target rural | | | |areas. | | | |* lack of consumer awareness of the | | | |consumers of the ZERO-B | | | |*the upper middle class households | | | |prefer high price and high quality | | |for foreign brands | | | |*to trade up the users of candle | | | |filters to a better safer product | | | |- Competition in India market |S-T |W-t | |regarding water purifies. |*Using the high technology to compete |*we must try to cope the product tec. | | |with the other brands |with India to be able to overcome the | |Regarding Eureka Forbes. *Using the western design to compete |Indian market competition | | |with competitors | | |-Huge sales force that highly | | | |motivated and well managed. | | | |- Tremendous brand equity. | | | | | | | |Regarding Ion Exchange. | | | | | | |-ZERO-B purifies marketing efforts | | | |will intensify to increase awareness | | | |-New advertising program to increase | | | |awareness. | | | | | | | |Regarding Singer. | | | | | | | |-It was superior in comparison to | | | |other rimitive products in the | | | |markets in design and distribution | | | |channels | | | Step three: Setting objectives: The main objective is to consolidate the Indi an market and stimulate tremendous growth, as the situation in India is attractive for foreign investment and considered to be a window of opportunities The objective is smart as it is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time framed Step Four: Setting Strategies: Based on the above situational analysis, we can now choose the strategies that will be used to achieve Blair Company’s objectives According to Chatterjee, he identified two entry strategies †¢ Skimming strategy: which means high price (RS 5900) and high quality Where the product design would be superior with higher performance and quality, longer warranty period, more features and more attractive appearance †¢ Penetration strategy: which means low price (RS 4400) and lower quality Our suggestions: First: Porter Generic Strategies [pic] Using Porter’s Generic Strategies, since the competitive scope is broad and competitive advantage is higher cost. We suggest using Differentiation strategy to enter the Indian market . y using the high technology strength of the Blair Company, the product must be high performance regarding to quality and western unique design. Second: using Mckinsey matrix: [pic] Since the competitive position of the firm is considered strong du e to high technology and strong financial position and the market is attractive, we suggest adopting the Protect Position strategy where the company has to invest to grow at maximum digestible rate and concentrate efforts in maintaining strength From our strategic point of view Blairwater must enter the Indian market by acquisition (high investment) using the low cost Indian labour force and the liberalized investment atmosphere in India. Third Ansoff Growth Strategy: [pic] According to Ansoff growth strategy matrix, Blair Water Purifier Company will adopt the Market Development strategy as the market is new but the product is the existing product. Regardless that the product must have some modifications regarding the Indian market, for example it may need extra purifying stage that the Indian water require, may be a whistle that tells the purifiers users that the unit is functioning probably, a small battery to operate the filters for several hours in case of a power failure (a common occurrence in India and other LDCS) or even permitting users to add fluoride, vitamins or even flavourings to their water. Step Five: STP (Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning) [pic] 5-1 Segmentation: Previously we focused on approaches to environmental, customer and competitor analysis, and the frameworks within which strategic marketing planning can best take place. Against this background we now turn to the question of market segmentation, and to the ways in which companies need to position themselves in order to maximize their competitive advantage and serve their target markets in the most effective manner. In Blair’s company case Chaterjee analyzed his target market to be the better educated, wealthier, and more health-conscious consumers who took steps to safeguard their family’s health hand often continued these steps years around. By estimation Chatterjee thought it would be around 40 million, these consumers were similar in many respects to consumer in middle and upper class households in the US and European Union who valued comfort and product choice they saw consumption of material goods as a mean to a higher quality of life, they liked foreign brands and would pay a higher for such brands He reached the conclusion that his target market is these 40 million households plus those in another four million households who had similar values and lifestyles Chatterjee divided the target segments 40 million as follows: *50 % from the target market boil water *10% from the 50% filter the boiling water *40% used a mechanical device in improving water divided to consumers who use candle filters and consumers who use water purifiers *10 % remaining consumers who know nothing about the problem and if they know they don’t want to pay There are three marketing distinct approaches to marketing strategy which exist s uch as 1 Undifferentiated or mass marketing Product-variety or differentiated marketing 3 Target or concentrated marketing These are well illustrated in Figure Marketing segmentation: Dividing the total market into different units, the units are heterogynous with each other We see that chatterjee divided the market using the following 4 segmentation factors into 4 segments: He used the demographics (age) , social class (to show the buying power ,income and education ),Family size (to show the demand volume ) ,geographic (between rural and urban ) and volume of usage 5-2 Targeting: Choosing one or more segment Chatterjee chooses segment 1,2 and 3 and ignored segment 4 5-3 Positioning: Positioning is determined according to the price strategies that Chatterjee mentioned whether if it skimming or penetration, product design for the skimming strategy would be noticeably superior with higher performance and quality longer warranty period, more features and more attractive appearance than the design of the penetration There are several positioning possibilities performance and taste, value for the money/low price, safety, health, convenience, attractive styling, avoiding diseases and health related bills and superior American technology. The only position he considered taken in the market was that occupied by Aquaguard protect family health and service at your doorstep. According to the differentiation entry that we selected, the positioning should be Superior American technology and design, performance and taste. Due to the three segments that we mentioned above, Chatterjee must design three different marketing mix as shown below: Model of smaller capacity for segment 1, model for larger capacity for larger houses for segment 2 and 2 models for segment 3 that would remove iron, calcium and other metallic containments that were peculiar to particular regions, for example Calcutta. Question 2: The 3 ways to enter the Market: †¢ Joint working arrangement †¢ Joint venture company †¢ Acquisition Main three Factors while selecting the best entry method: Litigation Problems could extend a case for easily a generation †¢ Foreign companies were taxed on Income arising from Indian operations †¢ The foreign company should pay taxes on also any interest, dividends, and royalties received and on any capital gains received from a sale of assets. Licensing Consideration: Chatterjee Analysis †¢ Blair Company Financial Position will be minimal †¢ Expenses: 30,000 in capital for production facilities and equipment , another $ 5,000 for office facilities †¢ Annual fixed costs should not exceeds $ 40,000 †¢ these investments would be offset by the Licensee’s payment to Blair company for technology transfer and personnel training †¢ Decrease of annual fixed costs to $ 15000 once Indian national are hired, trained and left in charged †¢ Duties of the Indian Labor will include seeing how the units are produced in USA with Blair company specification. The licensee would pay to Blair company around 280 R. S for each unit solid in the domestic market and 450 R. S for exported units, so the average will be around 300 R. S Licensing Analysis Brief: †¢ Indian company would manufacture and market the product. †¢ Licensee fees would be remitted to Blair company per unit basis over the term of the agreement Licensing Definition: A contractual agreement whereby a multinational marketer (the licensor) makes available intangible assets – such as patents, trade secre ts, know-how, trademarks, and company name- to foreign companies in return for royalties or other form of payments Licensing Pros and Cons: Pros: †¢ Quick and easy way to enter the market. Could be the only way to open the market. †¢ Provides life extension for products in the maturity stage of their life cycles. †¢ Is a good alternative for foreign productions and marketing? †¢ Royalties are guaranteed and periodic. †¢ Licensing can overcome high transportation costs which make some exports noncompetitive in export market. †¢ Licensing is immune to expropriation. Cons: †¢ No full control over production and marketing. †¢ Royalties are negligible compared with equity investment potential. †¢ There is a danger of creating competition in third country, or even home country markets if the licensee violates territorial agreement. Joint Venture/ Acquisition: Chatterjee Analysis: Financial investment and annual fixed costs would be higher and depnd on the scope of operations. †¢ Estimates of annual fixed expenses via acquisition would be same for joint venture †¢ Estimates for the investment might be considered higher/lower depend on what will be purchased. †¢ Assumption where made on the skimming, penetration pricing strategies Joint Venture Brief: †¢ Blair company will be a partner with an existing Indian company specially for manufacturing and marketing the product †¢ Profits will split between the two companies according to their agreement Acquisition Brief: †¢ Blair company will purchase an existing Indian company †¢ Profits will belong to Blair company Join Venture Definition: A long term partnership between two or more companies sharing equity and risk with the purpose of making profits in a target market. Pros: †¢ Potential for higher profits. †¢ More control over production and marketing. †¢ Better market feedback. †¢ More experience in international marketing. Cons: †¢ Great investment of capital. †¢ Higher level of risk. †¢ Potential conflicts between partners. Acquisition Definition: Ownership by the international firm in foreign markets Pros: †¢ Maximum profits. †¢ Full control over production and marketing. †¢ Better market feedback. †¢ Great experience in international marketing †¢ Integration of operations on a worldwide basis. Cons: High capital and management resources requirements. †¢ Higher risk of expropriation Why Acquisition is the better entry way for Blair Company : Based on all the mentioned analysis we have found that the Acquisition will be the best entry way due to all the acquisition pros the maximum profits, the full control and the better market feedback. In addition it will avoid the Licensing problems example no control over production and marketing as the Indian labor will know how the units are produced and their specifications as they must be trained in order to reduce the cost as the Indian Labor cost is less than the American Labor cost. Therefore, this is considered a negative point; As for the joint venture it is not considered a good entry way as in India the Litigation Problems could extend a case for easily a generation in addition to the higher level of risks and the potential conflicts between partners. ———————– WEAKNESSES Areas of relative disadvantage that: Indicate priorities for marketing improvement Highlight the areas and strategies that the planner should avoid OPPORTUNITIES Environmental trends with positive outcomes that offer scope for higher Levels of performance if pursued effectively: Highlight new areas for competitive advantage THREATS Trends within the environment with potentially negative impacts that: Increase the risks of a strategy Hinder the implementation of strategy Increase the resources required Reduce performance expectations STRENGTHS Areas of (distinctive) competence that: Must always be looked at relative to the competition If managed properly, is the basis for competitive advantage Derive from the marketing asset base S3 Adults 25-45 Social class A, B High income Healthy life style Regions with iron contaminants S4 Adults 25-45 Rural areas Social class c Low income Low infrastructure S2 Adults 25-45 Social class A, B High income Healthy life style Large family size Big houses High volume usage S1 Adults 25-45 Social class A, B High income Healthy life style Small family size Flats residence Low volume usags1e Project content [pic] Submitted to Dr Usama Saleh

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

Yaroslav GromovIn present clip, the inquiry about sustainable usage of natural resources has become really of import all over the universe. Peoples start to recognize that nature can non supply more resources that it has, and that the natural resources consumed a batch. Therefore, there should be found a manner how to work out this peculiar job – energy crisis. Consequently, we should reply the inquiry if the widespread of renewable energy is as serious option to the usage of fossil fuels or non. There is no right reply to this inquiry, but if we decidedly want to state ‘yes ‘ or ‘no ‘ , it will be better to burdening up the pro at Contra. So allow us happen out the causes why renewable energy is a serious option to the fossil fuels. First of all, fossil fuels are non-renewable. Natural gas, coal and oil are the most common illustration of fossil fuels, and they are the three chief types of fuel that people largely use and depend on. Seitz ( 2008 ) states that ‘according to many analysts the universe would non run out of oil, but in a few decennaries deficits will go prevailing ‘. Harmonizing to the Energy Information Agency, about 93 % of the universe ‘s energy beginnings are fossil fuels, and renewable energy is merely approximately 7 % . ( 2, 2008 ) Besides firing fossil fuels creates C dioxide, which is the nursery gas that leads to planetary heating and earnestly amendss our planet. Second, renewable energy beginnings, such as hydropower energy, solar energy and weave energy are renewable, efficient and non-polluting or doing small pollution. They are simple: all you need is sunlight, running H2O and blowing air current. Last, spread outing the usage of renewable energy will hold a positive impact on employment, harmonizing to more than a twelve independent surveies analysing the impact of clean energy on the economic system. Greater trust on renewable energy would hold big, positive impacts on economic system, making important Numberss of new occupations, driving major capital investing, stabilising energy monetary values, and cut downing consumer costs. ( Flavin C. 2006, p.10 ) . By contrast, employment in the dodo fuel industries has been in steady diminution for decennaries, in big step due to turning mechanization of coal excavation and other procedures. ( Flavin C. 2006, p.10 ) . As these three types of renewable energy were mentioned allow us discourse them more specific. Hydropower energy is the most developed engineering for renewable energy. The chief potency that this type of energy has is that it can be used in multipurpose country. For illustration, benefits of hydropower are deluging control, irrigation and public H2O supplies. ( 6 ) Hydropower energy is normally generated signifier falling H2O, doing small pollution and it is a type of clean energy. Hydropower resources are normally divided into two chief classs. As it is mentioned, the first class is resources that require semisynthetic dike construction with high hydraulic caputs ; the 2nd 1 is a â€Å"run-of-river† system that require minimal dike construction and with low hydraulic caputs. ( 4, 2000, p.44-45 ). Similarly, World Bank ( 2004 ) believes that hydropower can play important function ‘in poorness decrease in developing states ‘ . In add-on, World Bank ( 2004 ) besides claims that ‘currently about 19 per centum of the universe ‘s electricity is produced from hydropower ‘ and that the nursery gas emanations ‘from most hydropower workss are comparatively low ‘ . It is besides of import to burden the facts about advantages and disadvantages of hydropower energy. On the one manus, hydropower is a clean energy beginning. It does non foul the air like fossil fuels do. ( 6 ) Hydropower plays a major function in cut downing nursery gas emanations. The maintain cost is comparatively low. It is renewable. The engineering is dependable and proven over clip. ( 7 ) . On the other manus, if H2O is non available, the hydropower workss will non bring forth electricity. ( 6 ) USGS ( 7 ) studies that hydropower energy is non perfect and has some disadvantages. For illustration, ‘high investing cost, flood of land and wildlife home ground, alterations in reservoir and watercourse H2O quality, supplanting of local populations ‘ . Solar energy is the 2nd type of renewable energy that was mentioned in this essay. Solar energy is the 2nd most common type of renewable energy. Basically solar energy is the energy of Sun. It helps us to last on our planet, it heats us, it makes 3s turn up, and, largely everything on our planet depends on solar energy. It is possible that ‘our current life can non go on if we remain economically dependent on fossil fuels ‘ , as Hermann ‘s ( 2004, p.4 ) claims, but as for me, we can non foretell the hereafter and we do non cognize what will go on tomorrow. So Hermann claims that something is improbable to happen./p & gt ; It is non so easy to speak about advantages and disadvantages of solar energy. Talking about advantages of solar energy it is necessary to advert some of them. First, solar cells can be used about any topographic point around the universe. Second, solar cells soundless and non-polluting. In add-on, they require small care and have log life-time. Finally, solar cells can be easy used in topographic points where there is no chief electricity. Now let us travel on to the disadvantages of solar energy. The chief and most of import disadvantage is initial cost. Last, solar cells are wholly depends on conditions, and can be used merely during daytime and sun hours. It is because the lone clip when cells can bring forth electricity. ( 9 ) The last and perchance most interesting type of renewable energy is wind energy. There is an interesting point about air current energy. Wind is a signifier of solar energy ; it is ‘caused by the warming of the ambiance by the Sun, the rotary motion of the Earth, and the Earth ‘s surface abnormalities ‘ ( 11 ) . Seitz ( 2008, 141 ) studies that wind as an energy beginning was by and large used for power every bit good as for the chilling houses, adding that air current energy beginning started to derive regard all around the universe. In recent old ages the widespread of air current energy has been highly rapid, but, for illustration, ‘despite that rapid growing, weave energy amounted to less than 1 % of U.S. electricity coevals ‘ ( 10, p.15 ) . But as any other type of energy air current energy besides has advantages and disadvantages. Harmonizing to the Committee on Environmental Impacts one of the advantages is that ‘wind energy has the possible to cut down environmental impacts, because it does non ensue in the coevals of atmospheric contaminations or thermic pollution ‘ ( 10, p.15 ) . Another good point about air current energy is that it is ‘one of lowest-priced renewable energy available today ‘ ( 11 ) . In decision there is a really serious inquiry if the widespread of renewable energy is as serious option to the usage of fossil fuels or non. Three chief types of renewable energy were considered. So there is a opportunity in the nearest hereafter that renewable energy beginnings will to the full displace fossil fuels. It may go on, but non really shortly and likely merely when there is nil to pull out or mine. Now both renewable and non-renewable energy will be used at the same time. Peoples are non ready yet to abandon fossil fuels, and are non ready for passing immense sum of money for renewable energy.Christopher Flavin. ( 2006, September ) . American Energy. The Renewable Way to Energy Security. Worldwatch Institute.Energy information disposal. Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity Preliminary Statistics 2008. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/rea_prereport.htmlJohn L. Seitz. ( 2008 ) . Global issues: an debut. Blackw ell Printing Ltd.Committee on Programmatic Review of the U. S. Department of Energy ‘s Office of Power Technologies. ( 2000 ) . Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U. S. Department of Energy ‘s Renewable Energy Programs. National Academic Press.World Bank Staff. ( 2004 ) . Water Resources Sector Strategy: Strategic Directions for World Bank Engagement. World Bank Publications.U.S. Department Of Energy. Energy efficiency and renewable energy. Advantages and disadvantages of Hydropower. hypertext transfer protocol: //www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydro_ad.htmlUSGS ( U.S. Geological Survey ) . Water usage: hydro electronic power. hypertext transfer protocol: //ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.htmlScheer, Hermann. ( 2004 ) . Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future. Earthscan Publications Ltd.Bristol University. Advantages of solar energy. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/ledlie/advantages_of_solar_energy.htmCommitt ee on Environmental Impacts of Wind Energy Projects. National Research Council. ( 2007 ) . National Academies PressU.S. Department Of Energy. Energy efficiency and renewable energy. Advantages and disadvantages of Wind Energy. hypertext transfer protocol: //www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_ad.html

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Reading The Prince and the Pauper Chapter 6-10 Def and Notes Essay Example

Reading The Prince and the Pauper Chapter 6 Reading The Prince and the Pauper Chapter 6-10 Def and Notes Paper Reading The Prince and the Pauper Chapter 6-10 Def and Notes Paper Essay Topic: The Prince A __________ is a male servant whos in charge of other servants. Butler ________ is another word for annoy. pester When you walk with heavy steps, you are _________. lumbering Something that is thick and sturdy is _________. stout A _________ is a large, flat boat that travels on rivers. barge Something that is very large is ________. vast When you are sorry about something that happened, you ________ that thing. regret When you make somebody believe something, you __________ the person that what youre saying is true. convince When you are __________ about something, you dont really believe it is true. suspicious A __________ is a rude and rough person. ruffian Who might try to poison a prince? Someone who wants to be king. What is the Lord Chief Diaperers job? To put napkins on the prince. Why were the servants unable to help when Toms nose began to twitch? There wasnt a chief nose scratcher. Why was the book such a prize for Tom? It could teach him how to behave around royal people. Why was John Canty mad at Edward? Because he hadnt brought home any money. What did Toms mother think was wrong with her son? He had been reading to much. What did Toms mother begin to think after John and Edward left the room? Maybe Eward was not her son. Where did John tell Edward to go if the two got separated? To the far end of the London Bridge. Why did Edward want to punish Tom? Because he thought Tom had taken advantage of him. How was the princes barge decorated? With large shields and silk streamers. The _________ greeted Tom and the others inside Guildhall. Mayor of London Miles went to __________ to buy clothes for Edward. London Bridge The messenger inside the hall announced that the king was ________. dead The Cantys had to pay ________ pennies for rent. two

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Useful English Phrases for Running a Business Meeting

Useful English Phrases for Running a Business Meeting This reference sheet provides short phrases to help you run a business meeting from start to finish. Generally speaking, you should use formal English to run a business meeting. As you participate, its a good idea to paraphrase others ideas to make sure you understand. Opening the Meeting Welcome participants with quick phrases and get down to business. Good morning/afternoon, everyone.If we are all here, lets. . . get started (OR)start the meeting. (OR). . . start. Good morning everyone. If were all here, lets get started. Welcoming and Introducing Participants If you have a meeting with new participants, make sure to introduce them before as you start the meeting. Please join me in welcoming (name of participant)Were pleased to welcome (name of participant)Its a pleasure to welcome (name of participant)Id like to introduce (name of participant)I dont think youve met (name of participant) Before I get started, Id like to please join me in welcoming Anna Dinger from our office in New York. Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting Its important to begin the meeting by clearly stating the main objectives for the meeting. Were here today toOur aim is to ...Ive called this meeting in order to ...By the end of this meeting, Id like to have ... Were here today to discuss the upcoming merger, as well as go over last quarters sales figures.   Giving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent If someone important is missing, its a good idea to let others know that they will be missing from the meeting. Im afraid.., (name of participant) cant be with us today. She is in...I have received apologies for the absence of (name of participant), who is in (place). Im afraid Peter cant be with us today. Hes in London meeting with clients but will be back next week. Reading the Minutes (Notes) of the Last Meeting If you have a meeting that repeats regularly, make sure to read the minutes from the last meeting to make sure that everyone is on the same page. First, lets go over the report from the last meeting which was held on (date)Here are the minutes from our last meeting, which was on (date) First, lets go over the minutes from our last meeting which was held last Tuesday. Jeff, could you please read the notes? Dealing with Recent Developments Checking in with others will help you keep everyone up to date on progress on  various projects.   Jack, can you tell us how the XYZ project is progressing?Jack, how is the XYZ project coming along?John, have you completed the report on the new accounting package?Has everyone received a copy of the Tate Foundation report on current marketing trends? Alan, please tell us how the final arrangements for the merger are coming along.   Moving Forward Use these phrases to transition to the main focus of your meeting. So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, lets move on to todays agenda.Shall we get down to business?Is there any other business?If there are no further developments, Id like to move on to todays topic. Once again, Id like to thank you all for coming. Now, shall we get down to business? Introducing the Agenda Before you launch into the main points of the meeting, double check that everyone has a copy of the agenda for the meeting. Have you all received a copy of the agenda?There are three items on the agenda. First,Shall we take the points in this order?If you dont mind, Id like to ... go in order (OR)skip item 1 and move on to item 3I suggest we take item 2 last. Have you all received a copy of the agenda? Good. Shall we take the points in order? Allocating Roles (secretary, participants) As you move through the meeting, its important that people keep track of whats going on. Make sure to allocate note taking. (name of participant) has agreed to take the minutes.(name of participant) has kindly agreed to give us a report on this matter.(name of participant) will lead point 1, (name of participant) point 2, and (name of participant) point 3.(name of participant), would you mind taking notes today? Alice, would you mind taking notes today? Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.) If there is no regular routine to your meeting, point out the basic rules for discussion throughout the meeting. We will hear a short report on each point first, followed by a discussion around the table.I suggest we go round the table first.The meeting is due to finish at...Well have to keep each item to ten minutes. Otherwise well never get through.We may need to vote on item 5, if we cant get a unanimous decision. I suggest we go round the table first to get everyones feedback. After that, well take a vote. Introducing the First Item on the Agenda Use these phrases to begin with the first item on the agenda. Make sure to use sequencing language to connect your ideas throughout the meeting. So, lets start withShall we start with. .So, the first item on the agenda isPete, would you like to kick off?Martin, would you like to introduce this item? Shall we start with the first item? Good. Peter will introduce our plans for the merger and then will discuss the implications.   Closing an Item As you move from item to item, quickly state that you have finished with the previous discussion. I think that covers the first item.Shall we leave that item?If nobody has anything else to add, I think that covers the important points of the merger. Next Item These phrases will help you transition to the next item on the agenda. Lets move onto the next itemThe next item on the agenda isNow we come to the question of. Now, lets move onto the next item. Weve been having a bit of a personnel crunch lately. Giving Control to the Next Participant If someone takes over your role, give control to them with one of the following phrases. Id like to hand over to Mark, who is going to lead the next point.Right, Dorothy, over to you. Id like to hand over to Jeff, who is going to discuss the personnel issues. Summarizing As you finish the meeting, quickly sum up the main points of the meeting. Before we close, let me just summarize the main points.To sum up, ...In brief,Shall I go over the main points? To sum up, weve moved forward with the merger and expect to start work on the project in May. Also, the personnel department has decided to hire additional staff to help us with the increased demand. Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting As you end the meeting, make sure to arrange for the next meeting if necessary. Can we fix the next meeting, please?So, the next meeting will be on... (day), the . . . (date) of.. . (month) at...What about the following Wednesday? How is that?So, see you all then.   Before we leave, Id like to fix the next meeting. What about next Thursday? Thanking Participants for Attending Its always a good idea to thank everyone for attending the meeting. Id like to thank Marianne and Jeremy for coming over from London.Thank you all for attending.Thanks for your participation. Thank you all for your participation and Ill see you next Thursday. Closing the Meeting Close the meeting with a simple statement. The meeting is closed.I declare the meeting closed. Explore useful phrases and proper language use in these business English articles: Introduction and Example Meeting Dialogue Phrase Reference Sheet for Participating in a Meeting Formal or Informal? Appropriate Language in Business Situations